FG signs $500M MoU with World Bank to implement irrigation, hydropower projects
By Taiwo Osho
To successfully implement the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) project across 25 states, the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Ministry of Power, has signed a $500 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Bank.
The 25 beneficiary states include Benue, Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Niger, Gombe, Sokoto, Enugu, Bauchi, Cross River, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Kebbi, Plateau, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Abia, Kwara, Imo, Taraba, Kano, Delta, Osun, Jigawa, Edo, and Kogi.
The signing ceremony was held recently in Abuja and had dignitaries such as Prof. Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation and Adebayo Adetutu, the Minister of Power, in attendance.
According to a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the 500 million dollars World Bank SPIN project aims to enhance dam safety and improve water resource management for hydropower and irrigation across 25 states.
Describing the SPIN project as central to boosting food production, creating jobs, and strengthening Nigeria’s economy, Prof. Utsev commended the World Bank as a trusted partner in the country’s development, highlighting the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project, which concludes in January 2025, as a foundation for innovative solutions in water and agriculture.
As Chairman of the SPIN Preparatory Team, Utsev reaffirmed the ministries’ and partners’ full commitment to the project’s success, expressing confidence in its potential to address Nigeria’s irrigation needs and deliver significant benefits to citizens.
“We are confident that the SPIN project will build on this legacy by boosting food production and meeting the irrigation needs of our growing population,” he added.
“Our collective efforts have brought us to this significant moment, and I am confident that SPIN will deliver the tangible benefits Nigerians are eagerly anticipating,” he said.
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